Anchor
by Kage kioku aji tenshi
Summary: Danny finally tells Steve he loves him. Major Character Death.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Alright, okay, you win, I'm in love with you, babe, what can I do?

* * *

Danny entered the grassy area quietly, unusual for him but this wasn't exactly a usual day. He walked across the lawn, limping slightly from his knee injury acting up, the pain of walking without his cane comforting somehow as he made his way to where he wanted to be, respectfully remaining on the paved path.

Once he reached the area he wanted Danny stepped off the path, the blades of grass bending and breaking as he stepped on them.

Then Danny stopped and sat on the grass, his pants soaking up the dew from the grass, his ungelled hair ruffling in a breeze, the leaves on the trees rustling as Danny sat in silence.

"Hey, Steve." Danny began softly, "Sorry, I haven't been by to see you but they only just let me out and Chin and Kono were adament about not sneaking me out."

Danny closed his eyes and leaned foreward, "I'm sorry I missed your party, Chin said a lot of people came. Maybe it's good that I missed it, I don't know if I could have made it through with a straight face and you would have killed me if I made fun of you."

Danny picked at the flowers he had brought, "I got these for you, I know you hate them, I can see your face, you know, but traditions." Danny shrugged and sat them on the ground between them and sighed and sat in silence for a long moment.

"Alright, okay, you win, I'm in love with you, Babe," Danny whispered, "What cna I do?" He asked as he finally let the tears fall, "I'm sorry that I waited so long to say it. I'm sorry, so sorry." Danny sobbed, his body leaning forward until his forehead touched the wet grass.

"Danny?" Mary asked softly, reaching to touch the man's shoulder.

"Go away, please... just..." Danny's voice broke, "leave us alone, please, just a little longer, Mary."

"Okay. Just a few more minutes." She murmured, holding back her own tears.

Danny sat up and looked at the smooth, shiny stone that had Steve's name carved into it.

"I'm thinking of getting a tatto, a ltlle anchor on my hip with Steven on it, maybe a granade, I don't know but maybe if I have an anchor on my hip with your name on it I won't feel so adrift, I don't know but I sure do feel lost at sea without you. Serves me right for loving a Navy Seal, huh?"

Danny wiped his tears away.

"I have to go, the criminals on our Island didn't stop just because you did. I love you, babe. I'm just sorry you never got the chance hear it or say it back."

Danny stood up gingerly, favoring his knee, "Keep the flowers, even if you hate them."

Then Danny let Mary help him leave the graveyard and drive him to 5-0 headquarters knowing he'd go back at lunch and before he went home for the day, he didn't want Steve to get lonely.


	2. How Steve Died

Summary

Danny woke up slowly, his eyes glancing around the room, searching, before landing on Kono.

"Wh-" Danny coughed, making Kono jump up to help him dink some water, "Where's Steve?"

"Danny-" Kono stopped, "I told the doctor I would get him when you woke up. I'll be back."

Danny sat up as she left, his arms clutching at his chest as pain shot through him. The only time Steve wasn't at his side when he woke in a hospital was when the man himself was too injured to get out of a hospital bed.

:I'm glad you are awake, Detective Williams, we were getting worried." The Doctor began as he entered.

"Can I see Steve, Steve McGarrett?" Danny asked.

"You should rest." The doctor sighed. "You can see Commander McGarrett later."

"I want to see Steve." Danny demanded, trying to get out of the bed.

"Danny-" Kono tried.

"I want to see Steve!" Danny yelled.

"Nurse!" The doctor yelled, pushing Danny back down on the bed.

A few moments later Danny was sleeping as the nurse finished injecting him.

Danny blinked awake.

"Hey, Danny." Chin said, looking up from his tablet. "Just finishing some paperwork for our last case."

"Where's Steve"" Danny asked quietly looking at Chin.

"What do you remembe, Danny?" Chin asked.

Danny closed his eyes.

"Seriously, Steven, Seriously?" Danny asked as the man grabbed a grenade from the trunk of his car, "What did I tell you about keeping Grenades in my car?"

"To not keep them where Grace could get them." Steve said as he shut the trunk and began running to where they needed to be.

"Mo, that is not what I said!" Danny yelled at him, "I said don't keep them in my car at all."

So, what's happening?" Steve asked Chin as they pulled on bullet proof vests.

Chin glanced between the two of them before he filled them in on the situation.

Twenty minutes later and Danny was running after Steve as usual.

"Goddammit, Steve!" Danny yelled as he ducked behind a car.

"Cover me!" Steve shouted as he ren forward, grabbing a young woman that was caught in the crossfire, dragging her behind a truck as the criminals shot at them.

"What the hell are you doing, Steven?!" Danny cried as he watched Steve take his vest off and put it on the frightened woman.

Steve gave him a look.

"Fine! Fine!" Danny shouted, throwing his hands in the air, "Fine." Danny muttered.

"Ready, Danny?" Steev asked as he moved to the end of the car.

"Sure, even if I weren't you'd go off anyway and I have to follow you." Danny muttered annoyed.

"Danno?!" Steve cried, glancing at Danny.

"Yeah!" Danny shouted back.

"Alright!" Steve said grinning widely.

"Shit, Steve." Danny muttered when he saw the grin, "Please don't."

Then Steve went running.

"Of courde you are." Danny muttered, following.

"Steve saved the woman and then it gets a little blurry." Danny said looking at Chin.

Chin nodded and set the tablet aside and sat forward.

"Danny." Chin took a deep breath and let it out. "We got our guys but Steve -"

Danny sat up and looked at Chin intensly, "What happened to Steve, how bad is he?" Danny asked, "Where is he?"

"Danny," Chin paused to grab Danny's hand, "Danny, Steve isn't here."

"Where is he, he hasn't come to see me." Danny said.

Chin swallowed thickly and his eyes filled with tears.

"Danny, Steve didn't make it."

Danny frowned in confusion before realization came.

"No. No! NO!" Danny screamed.

"Nurse!" Chin shouted as he tried to keep Danny in the bed. "Danny, you need to calm down."

"Steve can't be dead, I want to see him!" Danny shouted.

"Danny, you can't see him, he's gone." Chin told him.

"He can't be gone!" Danny shouted, "Let me go! I need to... see...Steve-"

Danny fell back on the bed, eyes falling closed as the nurse stepped back from his arm.

"Was Steve his boyfriend?" The nurse asked Chin.

Chin pet Danny's arm sadly as he sat down and let his tears fall, "No, they were partners."

"Life partners, oh, the poor thing." The nurse said as she checked Danny's chart and wrote something down.

"Just work partners." Chin said, "But maybe if they hadn't been so afraid of losing what they had they would have been more."

"That's even worse, no wonder he's having such a time of it." The nurse said, "I have to check on some other patients. I'll be back in an hour, I can bring you coffee?"

Chin shook his head, "Rachel, Danny's ex, is bringing his daughter by for an hour, I'm helping Steve's sister with arrangements. Kamekona should be by to sit with Danny before Grace and Rachel leave, but thank you."

"No problem." The nurse smiled sadly and left.

"Steve! Don't you dare!" Danny yelled as Steve ran towards the ledge of the building, chasing their suspects.

Steev didn't stop, taking the leap and landing neatly on the other rooftop. Danny landed less neatly, his knee giving more than he wanted it to as he landed but he kept running after Steve.

"STEVE!" Danny shouted as he saw the man on the ground, bleeding from several gun shot wounds.

"Danno." Steve gasped and then Steve was grabbing his vest and jerking him donw, turning them so Danny's back hit the groound and Steve was over him as several more shots sounded, the bullets making their him in Steve's body.

"Steve." Danny whispered as he grabbed the SEAL and pulled him into his lap as Steve gazed up at him with sad, sorrowful blue eyes, body jerking as he gasped his breaths.

"Stay with me, Steve." Danny begged, as the suspects took off as Kono and Chin caught up an chased after them, "Stay with me, Steven, don't leave me, please, Stay with me."

"Danno-" Steve gasped, reaching out with bloodied fingers to brush Danny's cheek, streaking it with red, "So...Sorry."

Then Steve's hand fel and Danny cried when his chest ceased it's movement and Steve's eyes glazed over and stared at nothing.

"No! NO! Steven, don't leave me!" Danny cried as he cradled Steve's head in his arms, "Come back to me, please, come back to me, don't go."

Danny began rocking back and forth a little as Emergency crews arrrived on the rooftop.

"You need to let go." A voice said, tugging at a resisting Danny.

"No." Danny cried as the hands got more forceful in pulling him away, "No!"

"Sir, please."

"NO!" Danny cried struggling in the grip of several people to keep hold of Steve.

"NO!" Danny screamed as they loaded Steve up, zipping the black body bag over his face before the put him on a streacher and took him away.

"No-" Danny whispered reaching out to Steve as darkness filled his vision and he slipped out of the hands holding him away from Steve as he lost consiousness.

Danny stared at the wall of his room, Max was behind him talking quietly but Danny wasn't listening.

Danny was thinking about Steve and all the things he should have said, the risks he should have taken, the ache in his heart and the hole there that Steven had left him with.

They were having Steven's services tomorrow and Danny wanted to go but the doctor wnted him to stay for at least another three days, the length of time he'd been unconsious before waking the first time worrying the doctor and Kono and Chin weren't being cooperative about springing him.

"Hey, Danny, I've got to go back to work, the govenor wants to talk to you, then Kono should be here to sit with you, Okay." Max said softly, his hand on Danny's ankle.

"Whatever." Danny muttered, tucking his hands under his cheek as he continued staring at the wall.

"McGarrett left this for you." The Govenor began, setting an envelope on the side table. "He also left you in charge of 5-0."

Danny felt the tears flow down his cheek into the pillow because of couse Steve left him 5-0, of course he did.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Detective Williams, McGarrett wasn't a rule abiding man but he was a good one, a great one, he'll be missed."

Danny sniffled as the Govenor left and Kono entered.

Danny held his envelope in his hand, his last link to Steven and it wasn't fair that this was the second time he'd been told goodbye by Steven in letter form.

For the first time since they'd lost Steve Danny was alone, everyone at Steve's services but Danny, who was stuck in the hospital.

Rachel said that Stan would check on him in a bit, since she was escorting Gace to Steve's services nd Danny didn't care if Stan showed or not.

Danny flipped the envelope and pealed the flap open carefully, tugging the letter out of it's home. Danny stared at the tri-floded piece of paper for a long while before he thumbed it open.

The words were blurry as Danny tried to read them, when Danny blinked they became clear enough to read as the tears in i=his eyes streaked down his cheeks.

*Dear Danno,

You once told me that if you ever got another of these you'd kill me, so, if you're reading this then I'm already dead and this is my last goodbye. My last chance to say something I should have said when I was alive to hear your response but I suppose in this one thing I was a coward, afraid to take a chance, to give you a chance, to give us a chance.

I'm so sorry for that. That, no doubt I did something so stupid that I got myself kille, I can only hope that my stupidity didn't get you or anyone else killed but most especially you.

Because Danno, I love you and I'm sorry you never got to hear my voice say those words after kissing you breathless and silen, I'm so sorry I never got to show you, to wake up with you, to grow old with you.

And even if you didn't love me like I love you, I'm sorry I never got to grow old by your side, to watch Gracie go to Prom and you freak about the boy taking her, to see you you cry at her wedding and when your grandchildren are born.

I'm sorry I have to miss being by your side to comfort you when you can't hold yourself together but if I died saving you Danny, I'm not sorry it was me over you.

I love you and I'm sorry that I didn't have the courage to tell you before you had to read this letter.

Love,

Steven.*

Danny took a deep shuddering breath as he refolded the letter and slid it back into the envelope and pressed a soft kiss to the front of it where his name was penned.

"I'm sorry too, Steven, I love you, too." He whispered as he began to sob.

Danny knew where he was going as soon as he was released from the hospital and what he was going to say to Steve.  



End file.
